Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate / Cities in Washington

Cities in Washington by unemployment rate

Lakewood, WA had the highest unemployment rate of 47 cities in July 2026, at 5.9%. Bainbridge Island, WA had the lowest, at 2.9%. The median was 4.6% and the figure for Washington was 5%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest5.9Lakewood, WA
Lowest2.9Bainbridge Island, WA
Median4.647 cities
Washington5History

All cities, July 2026

Lakewood, WA: 5.9 %Lakewood, WA5.9Federal Way, WA: 5.6 %Federal Way, WA5.6SeaTac, WA: 5.5 %SeaTac, WA5.5Des Moines, WA: 5.4 %Des Moines, WA5.4Tacoma, WA: 5.4 %Tacoma, WA5.4Auburn, WA: 5.2 %Auburn, WA5.2Everett, WA: 5.2 %Everett, WA5.2Kent, WA: 5.2 %Kent, WA5.2Sammamish, WA: 5.2 %Sammamish, WA5.2Burien, WA: 5.1 %Burien, WA5.1Mercer Island, WA: 5.1 %Mercer Island, WA5.1Puyallup, WA: 5.1 %Puyallup, WA5.1Lake Stevens, WA: 5 %Lake Stevens, WA5Marysville, WA: 5 %Marysville, WA5Shoreline, WA: 5 %Shoreline, WA5Bothell, WA: 4.9 %Bothell, WA4.9University Place, WA: 4.9 %University Place, WA4.9Kirkland, WA: 4.8 %Kirkland, WA4.8Lynnwood, WA: 4.8 %Lynnwood, WA4.8Moses Lake, WA: 4.8 %Moses Lake, WA4.8Renton, WA: 4.8 %Renton, WA4.8Edmonds, WA: 4.7 %Edmonds, WA4.7Maple Valley, WA: 4.6 %Maple Valley, WA4.6Mountlake Terrace, WA: 4.6 %Mountlake Terrace, WA4.6Seattle, WA: 4.6 %Seattle, WA4.6Yakima, WA: 4.6 %Yakima, WA4.6Bellevue, WA: 4.5 %Bellevue, WA4.5Issaquah, WA: 4.3 %Issaquah, WA4.3Longview, WA: 4.3 %Longview, WA4.3Redmond, WA: 4.3 %Redmond, WA4.3Pullman, WA: 4.2 %Pullman, WA4.2Pasco, WA: 4.1 %Pasco, WA4.1Camas, WA: 4 %Camas, WA4Kennewick, WA: 3.9 %Kennewick, WA3.9Vancouver, WA: 3.9 %Vancouver, WA3.9Mount Vernon, WA: 3.8 %Mount Vernon, WA3.8Walla Walla, WA: 3.8 %Walla Walla, WA3.8Bremerton, WA: 3.7 %Bremerton, WA3.7Lacey, WA: 3.7 %Lacey, WA3.7Spokane, WA: 3.5 %Spokane, WA3.5Richland, WA: 3.4 %Richland, WA3.4Bellingham, WA: 3.3 %Bellingham, WA3.3Olympia, WA: 3.3 %Olympia, WA3.3Spokane Valley, WA: 3.3 %Spokane Valley, WA3.3Wenatchee, WA: 3.2 %Wenatchee, WA3.2Tumwater, WA: 3.1 %Tumwater, WA3.1Bainbridge Island, WA: 2.9 %Bainbridge Island, WA2.9Lakewood, WA: 5.9 %Lakewood, WA5.9Federal Way, WA: 5.6 %Federal Way, WA5.6SeaTac, WA: 5.5 %SeaTac, WA5.5Des Moines, WA: 5.4 %Des Moines, WA5.4Tacoma, WA: 5.4 %Tacoma, WA5.4Auburn, WA: 5.2 %Auburn, WA5.2Everett, WA: 5.2 %Everett, WA5.2Kent, WA: 5.2 %Kent, WA5.2Sammamish, WA: 5.2 %Sammamish, WA5.2Burien, WA: 5.1 %Burien, WA5.1Mercer Island, WA: 5.1 %Mercer Island, WA5.1Puyallup, WA: 5.1 %Puyallup, WA5.1Lake Stevens, WA: 5 %Lake Stevens, WA5Marysville, WA: 5 %Marysville, WA5Shoreline, WA: 5 %Shoreline, WA5Bothell, WA: 4.9 %Bothell, WA4.9University Place, WA: 4.9 %University Place, WA4.9Kirkland, WA: 4.8 %Kirkland, WA4.8Lynnwood, WA: 4.8 %Lynnwood, WA4.8Moses Lake, WA: 4.8 %Moses Lake, WA4.8Renton, WA: 4.8 %Renton, WA4.8Edmonds, WA: 4.7 %Edmonds, WA4.7Maple Valley, WA: 4.6 %Maple Valley, WA4.6Mountlake Terrace, WA: 4.6 %Mountlake Terrace, WA4.6Seattle, WA: 4.6 %Seattle, WA4.6Yakima, WA: 4.6 %Yakima, WA4.6Bellevue, WA: 4.5 %Bellevue, WA4.5Issaquah, WA: 4.3 %Issaquah, WA4.3Longview, WA: 4.3 %Longview, WA4.3Redmond, WA: 4.3 %Redmond, WA4.3Pullman, WA: 4.2 %Pullman, WA4.2Pasco, WA: 4.1 %Pasco, WA4.1Camas, WA: 4 %Camas, WA4Kennewick, WA: 3.9 %Kennewick, WA3.9Vancouver, WA: 3.9 %Vancouver, WA3.9Mount Vernon, WA: 3.8 %Mount Vernon, WA3.8Walla Walla, WA: 3.8 %Walla Walla, WA3.8Bremerton, WA: 3.7 %Bremerton, WA3.7Lacey, WA: 3.7 %Lacey, WA3.7Spokane, WA: 3.5 %Spokane, WA3.5Richland, WA: 3.4 %Richland, WA3.4Bellingham, WA: 3.3 %Bellingham, WA3.3Olympia, WA: 3.3 %Olympia, WA3.3Spokane Valley, WA: 3.3 %Spokane Valley, WA3.3Wenatchee, WA: 3.2 %Wenatchee, WA3.2Tumwater, WA: 3.1 %Tumwater, WA3.1Bainbridge Island, WA: 2.9 %Bainbridge Island, WA2.9
%. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCitiesJuly 2026 (%)Change on July 2025
1Lakewood, WA5.9+0.5 pts
2Federal Way, WA5.6+0.3 pts
3SeaTac, WA5.5+0.5 pts
4Des Moines, WA5.40 pts
4Tacoma, WA5.4+0.4 pts
6Auburn, WA5.2+0.2 pts
6Everett, WA5.2+0.3 pts
6Kent, WA5.2+0.1 pts
6Sammamish, WA5.2+0.8 pts
10Burien, WA5.1+0.2 pts
10Mercer Island, WA5.1+0.5 pts
10Puyallup, WA5.1+0.3 pts
13Lake Stevens, WA5-0.1 pts
13Marysville, WA5+0.2 pts
13Shoreline, WA5+0.7 pts
16Bothell, WA4.9+0.3 pts
16University Place, WA4.9+0.3 pts
18Kirkland, WA4.8+0.5 pts
18Lynnwood, WA4.80 pts
18Moses Lake, WA4.8-1.7 pts
18Renton, WA4.8+0.2 pts
22Edmonds, WA4.7+0.6 pts
23Maple Valley, WA4.60 pts
23Mountlake Terrace, WA4.6-0.3 pts
23Seattle, WA4.6+0.4 pts
23Yakima, WA4.6-0.8 pts
27Bellevue, WA4.5+0.5 pts
28Issaquah, WA4.3+0.4 pts
28Longview, WA4.3-0.9 pts
28Redmond, WA4.3+0.4 pts
31Pullman, WA4.2-1.1 pts
32Pasco, WA4.1-0.8 pts
33Camas, WA4-0.5 pts
34Kennewick, WA3.9-0.6 pts
34Vancouver, WA3.9-0.8 pts
36Mount Vernon, WA3.8-0.8 pts
36Walla Walla, WA3.8-0.8 pts
38Bremerton, WA3.7-0.3 pts
38Lacey, WA3.7-0.8 pts
40Spokane, WA3.5-0.6 pts
41Richland, WA3.4-0.7 pts
42Bellingham, WA3.3-0.9 pts
42Olympia, WA3.3-0.9 pts
42Spokane Valley, WA3.3-0.7 pts
45Wenatchee, WA3.2-0.4 pts
46Tumwater, WA3.1-0.7 pts
47Bainbridge Island, WA2.9-0.9 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work.

More on how it is measured
  • Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over.
  • EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74.
  • United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states, counties and cities.
  • United Kingdom regions: Labour Force Survey, aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted.
  • Canada: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted, for the country and the provinces.
  • Australia: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted, for the nation and the six states; the ABS publishes no seasonally adjusted series for the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
  • New Zealand: Household Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted for the country and not seasonally adjusted for regional council areas.
  • Norway: Statistics Norway Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74, seasonally adjusted monthly figures.
  • Sweden: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74, seasonally adjusted and smoothed (the series Statistics Sweden gives in its monthly release), national.
  • Switzerland: Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS), ILO definition, permanent resident population aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted quarterly averages, national.
  • For other countries, the source may be OECD survey-based rates, annual survey-based rates compiled by the ILO in ILOSTAT, or annual ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank.
  • ILO modelled estimates cover ages 15 and over.
  • The World series uses those ILO modelled estimates.

Survey-based for national and Eurostat series. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states, US counties, US cities (those of 25,000 or more and smaller New England cities), United Kingdom regions, Canadian provinces, Australia and its six states, New Zealand with 10 of its regions, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland (national), not Spanish municipalities. For Spanish municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03) (Cities in Washington by unemployment rate, 2026-07) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29

MLA 9

Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03), Cities in Washington by unemployment rate, 2026-07. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/washington-cities?period=2026-07. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Cities in Washington by unemployment rate, 2026-07. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/washington-cities?period=2026-07.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03), Cities in Washington by unemployment rate, 2026-07 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/washington-cities?period=2026-07 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_cities_in_washington_by_2026,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03): Cities in Washington by unemployment rate, 2026-07}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/washington-cities?period=2026-07. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03): Cities in Washington by unemployment rate, 2026-07
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/washington-cities?period=2026-07
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/washington-cities?period=2026-07.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which city has the highest unemployment rate?

Lakewood, WA, with 5.9% in July 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest unemployment rate?

Bainbridge Island, WA, with 2.9% in July 2026.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Cities in Washington: more rankings